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ARTIST
TITLE
Musakayike
FORMAT
LP
LABEL
CATALOG #
BJR 058LP
BJR 058LP
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
9/9/2022
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LP version. Madalitso Band have taken their exuberant, Malawian folk music from the streets of Lilongwe to thrilling audiences across Europe and now release their third album, Musakayike. Recorded in Malawi in November of 2021, the duo, along with their "accidental manager" Neil Nayar, headed into the studio with a clearer idea of how to capture that Madalisto Band sound without losing any of their groove and infectious energy. The Malawian duo's setup comprises a homemade one-string slide bass (Babatone), a cowskin foot drum thumped with the heel and a four-string guitar. The guitar, played by Yosefe Kalekeni, holds close to the rhythm while lead singer Yobu Maligwa's long-necked, Babatone serves as both the bottom end and lead. When asked why they make their own instruments, they will simply reply "that's how we get the sound we want." Live, these songs stretch out well over ten minutes, designed to get and then keep the audience dancing, but on this new record they were fine-tuned and trimmed back before heading into the studio. Album opener "Ali Ndi Vuto" zips out with Yobu Maligwa lamenting the fact that whether you're rich or poor, people will find fault with you. "Musakayike" is as infectious as they come, with a playful groove and the pair's harmonizing vocals creating a sound that defies their stripped back set up. Some 20 years ago, at the start of a now long friendship, the duo decided to build their own instruments to recreate the sounds they'd heard on the radio growing up. After years of playing on the streets of the nation's capital, the pair were discovered by a local producer while busking outside a shopping center in Lilongwe in 2009. However, it still wasn't until 2017 when they had their first performance outside Malawi, at Sauti Za Busara in Zanzibar. Six months later and they were on an airplane for the first time in their lives, to do a two-week European tour, with a stop at the prestigious Roskilde Festival following a few months later. The success of these previous tours has meant the pair have been able to buy some land and construct their own homes. However, they remain largely unknown throughout Malawi, only occasionally recognized from when they were playing on the streets of Lilongwe. Yobu Malinga is perhaps better known locally as a pastor, regularly receiving worshippers to his home. For fans of: Malawi Mouse Boys, Staff Benda Bilili, Gonora Sounds.
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